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Mark David Chapman
Mark David Chapman (May 10th, 1955 - ) was the man who murdered beloved singer and songwriter John Lennon of The Beatles, on December 8th, 1980. Chapman was obsessed with the book "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and seemingly imagined himself to be that book's main character, Holden Caulfield. The exact reason why the book made Chapman kill Lennon, and the most likely explanation is probably that he is simply insane and whatever message he got from the book that inspired him to do it was unintentional on the part of the author but there are several theories and for obvious reasons Catcher in the Rye (already very controversial for its constant swearing) has become much, much more controversial ever since this incident. Biography Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Chapman's father, David Chapman, was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and his mother, Diane (née Pease), was a nurse. His younger sister, Susan, was born seven years later. As a boy, Chapman stated he lived in fear of his father, who he said was physically abusive towards his mother and unloving towards him. Chapman began to fantasize about having king-like power over a group of imaginary "little people" who lived in the walls of his bedroom. He attended Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia. By the time he was 14, Chapman was using drugs and skipping classes. He once ran away from home to live on the streets of Atlanta for two weeks. He said he was bullied at school because he was not a good athlete. In 1971, Chapman became a born-again Presbyterian and distributed Biblical tracts. He met his first girlfriend, Jessica Blankenship, and began work as a summer camp counselor at the South De Kalb County, Georgia YMCA. He was very popular with the children, who nicknamed him "Nemo" and was made assistant director after winning an award for Outstanding Counselor. Those who knew him in the caretaking professions unanimously called him an outstanding worker. Chapman read J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye on the recommendation of a friend. The novel eventually took on great personal significance for him, to the extent he reportedly wished to model his life after its protagonist, Holden Caulfield. After graduating from Columbia High School, Chapman moved for a time to Chicago and played guitar in churches and Christian night spots while his friend did impersonations. He worked successfully for World Vision with Vietnamese refugees at a resettlement camp at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, after a brief visit to Lebanon for the same work. He was named an area coordinator and a key aide to program director David Moore, who later said Chapman cared deeply for the children and worked hard. Chapman accompanied Moore to meetings with government officials, and President Gerald Ford shook his hand. Chapman was a fan of the Beatles, but was incensed by Lennon's lifestyle and public statements, such as his remark about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus" and the lyrics of his later songs "God" and "Imagine". He also contemplated killing other public figures, including Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. At the time of the murder, he had no prior criminal convictions and had just resigned from a job as a security guard in Hawaii. His wife was aware of his plans but she did not inform the police or mental health services. Mark Chapman came to New York City in October of 1980, where he spent weeks stalking John Lennon and talking about he was going to "meet" him and have him sign a copy of his new album. Late at night on December 8, when John Lennon was getting out of his limo in front of the Dakota Hotel where he was staying, Chapman shot at him five times in the back, four bullets hitting Lennon. Chapman was carrying a copy of Catcher in the Rye with him at the time, and after the assassination stood there reading the book until he was found and arrested without resistance. Lennon died while on his way to hospital. Mark Chapman openly pleaded guilty to the murder, reading from the book during his trial, and was sentenced to twenty years to life in prison. For killing such a beloved icon, Chapman has since been denied parole on ten separate occasions ever since he became eligible for parole in 2000. He remains imprisoned to this day, and is currently incarcerated at Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County, New York, and will most likely never be released. Chapman refused requests for press interviews during his first six years in prison; he later said that he regretted the murder and did not want to give the impression that he killed Lennon for fame and notoriety. He ultimately supplied audiotaped interviews to journalist Jack Jones, who used them to write the investigative book Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman in 1992. The 2007 film "Chapter 27" was based on the killing of John Lennon, and starred Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman. The film's title refers to the fact that Catcher in the Rye has 26 chapters, and Chapman reportedly said that his goal was to "write chapter 27 in Lennon's blood." 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